Zabrina opened her mouth to protest. The words died on her lips when his mouth covered hers, swallowing her breath. “Myles! No-oo! Please don’t.”
Her pleas fell on deaf ears and her shame increased. Myles had her jeans and panties down around her knees, his face buried between her thighs, all the while holding her wrists in a strong grip. The first time he’d introduced her to a different form of lovemaking she’d refused to look at him for days, so great was her shame. It was the first and last time Myles had attempted to make love to her with his mouth and tongue. Now, she was at his mercy and the sensations washing over had her feeling as if she were losing touch with reality. Zabrina floated in and out, gasping and sobbing as she attempted to sit up, push his head away, but to no avail.
Like a man seated at a banquet table, Myles feasted on the swollen mounds of flesh at the apex of Zabrina’s thighs. Not only did she smell delicious, but she tasted delicious. He caught the engorged bud between his teeth, increasing the pressure until Zabrina’s hips came off the surface of the table. Her breath came in deep surrendering moans, her head thrashing from side to side. She arched, fell back and then arched again as moisture pooled into his mouth.
Myles was relentless. He didn’t love her flesh, he worshipped her. Without warning it happened. The soft pulsing grew stronger, more intense. The measured contractions shook Zabrina, her legs trembling uncontrollably. But he was ready. Pulling her closer, her hips on the edge of the table, he lifted her until there was no space, no light between his mouth and the entrance to her vagina.
She screamed once. Then again. And again. Her final scream made the hair stand up on the back of his neck, yet he wouldn’t give her ease. Myles wanted the memory of his mouth on her to become an indelible tattoo that no other man could eradicate.
Eyes closed, chest heaving, Zabrina lay spent, unable to move. The orgasms had come so quickly, were so intense that her heart had stopped for several seconds and for the first time in her life she had experienced le petit mort.
She was still in a prone position when Myles returned with a warm cloth to wash between her legs. “I’m going to pay you back for that stunt.”
Myles leaned over her, smiling. “What are you going to do, baby girl?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” she teased.
He wiggled his fingers. “I’m scared of you.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he eased her up. “I’m going to clean off the table, then we’ll eat.”
Zabrina wrinkled her nose. “I’ll never look at this table the same way again.”
Myles helped her off the table. “And I’ll never think of appetizers the same way again.”
She landed a soft punch on his shoulder. “When did you become a dirty old man?”
“I wasn’t one until I accepted the position to become your sex toy.”
Crossing her arms under her breasts, Zabrina angled her head. “Perhaps I should’ve checked your credentials before I hired you.”
“My credentials are impeccable, beautiful.”
The sweep hand on the clock over the kitchen sink made a full revolution before she said, “Yes, they are, Myles.”
He winked at her. “I made cinnamon waffles with caramelized apples for breakfast.”
He remembered, Zabrina thought. Myles had remembered her favorite breakfast food. She loved all types of waffles covered with every fruit imaginable. He’d introduced her to fried chicken and waffles with a tangy honey-strawberry topping, which had become her favorite.
A sad smile touched her mouth. They had the summer in which to recapture a modicum of happiness that promised forever. I can do it, she mused. We can do it.
* * *
Myles set up the oversize hammock between two large trees in the rear of Zabrina’s house rather than on the front porch. He was surprised at the size of the lot on which her house had been erected. The subdivision had only ten homes, but if they’d been built on smaller lots the number of structures could’ve been twice that. It was apparent the developer wanted to give the residents the feel of estate living. If it had been a gated community, then it would’ve provided maximum security.
Stepping back, he surveyed his handiwork. “Do you want to try it out?”
Zabrina smiled at Myles. “Sure.” Sitting on the hammock, she grasped it with her left hand and lifted her left leg, then her right leg and hand until she lay on the tightly slung cord.
Myles applauded softly. “Nice technique.”
He remembered the first time Zabrina had attempted to get into the hammock—she’d fallen and hit her head on the floor of the porch. The impact of the fall left her motionless. Too frightened to move her, Myles ran to get his father who was seeing a patient in his home office. Dr. Eaton revived her and personally drove her to the hospital for an evaluation. Isaac Mixon arrived in time to hear the neurosurgeon tell him that his daughter had suffered a mild concussion. It would be another six months before Zabrina attempted to get on the hammock, this time with explicit instructions as to the proper technique.
Smiling, Zabrina beckoned to Myles. “Come, get in with me.” She scooted over and he climbed in beside her. Snuggling against his chest, she looped her leg over his bare ones. “This thing is large enough for Adam and Rachel’s two children.”
“You’re going to have to show them how to get in and out without falling and breaking something.”
She winced. “I can’t imagine either of them spending the summer with their arms or legs in a cast. Remember the summer you sat around with your arm in a cast?”
Myles grunted. “Please don’t remind me.” He’d broken several bones in his right wrist during a martial arts competition. The pain was excruciating yet he’d kept fighting. He won the competition, earned his brown belt and spent the summer sitting around the house watching grass grow. If it hadn’t been for Zabrina he believed he would’ve gone completely mad. Her father dropped her off every morning, and after playing with Belinda she would join him in the hammock to read. Most times she’d end up falling asleep and he’d lie there staring at her.
She’d been so young, so innocent and so untouchable. It was the summer Zabrina Mixon had become more to him than his sister’s friend. It was the first time he saw her as a young woman and a companion. Her straight body had developed womanly curves, her voice had changed to a low, smoky quality that caught one’s attention the moment she opened her mouth. And, with her jet-black hair and jewellike eyes she had morphed into an incredibly beautiful adolescent.
Things had changed when one of his friends made a crude comment about Zabrina’s mouth and what she could do to him. Myles had caught the much taller and heavier boy by the throat within seconds and would have nearly crushed his windpipe if the other boys on the football team hadn’t pulled him off. It was the first and last time he touched someone outside the realm of competition. It was also the first time he realized his protective instincts went deeper than taking care of his sisters and Belinda’s friend.
Torn by ambivalent feelings, Myles decided going away to college rather than commuting was best because it put some distance between him and a teenage girl. What frightened him more than facing charges of statutory rape was what it would do to his family’s reputation and what Isaac Mixon’s reaction would be to his taking advantage of his daughter. And he knew he’d made the right decision when Zabrina kissed him. There was nothing chaste or innocent in the kiss, and it was another five years before he sampled the sweetness of her sexy mouth again.
“Brina, baby. Are you falling asleep?”
She stirred. “I was before you called my name.”
“Why don’t we go inside and lie down?”
“I don’t feel like moving.”
“It’s getting too hot out here.” Midday temperatures were already in the high eighties and meteorologists were predicting the mercury was going
as high as the mid-nineties.
Rolling over, Zabrina opened an eye and peered at the face close to hers. She always marveled at the length of Myles’s eyelashes. Whenever he closed his eyes the tips of his lashes grazed his high cheekbones.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” she asked.
“I’ll leave that up to you,” Myles countered.
“I’ve been craving crab cakes.”
Myles lifted his expressive eyebrows. “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” he teased.
“Of course I’m sure. You’re the only man I’ve slept with, and I’m expecting my period in a few days, so bite your tongue, Myles Eaton.”
“Do you want more children?”
His question startled her. What did he expect her to say? If they’d been married there was no doubt she would’ve had at least another child, or maybe two more. “Yes.”
A silence followed her answer as Myles wrestled with his conscience. He’d always wanted children, and he’d wanted Zabrina to be the mother of his children. “How does Adam feel about you having more children?”
“All he used to talk about was having a sister because the kids in his classes would come to school with the news that they had a new baby brother or baby sister. Now I think he’s resigned to being an only child.”
“You never liked being an only child.”
Zabrina sighed audibly. “I hated it. Belinda was the closest thing to having a sister. After we moved to the city, I used to nag my father so much about spending time with Belinda that he finally gave in and let me come to your house or let her come to mine every weekend.”
“Are you thinking of remarrying?”
“No.”
“Then how are you going to give your son a brother or sister?”
“Either I’ll have an affair and get pregnant, or adopt.”
An angry frown settled into Myles’s features. “Having an affair is wrong, Brina.”
“Why is it wrong, Myles?”
“You would sleep with a man, get pregnant and not let him know you were having his baby?”
With wide eyes, she met his angry glare. Why not, she wanted to tell him. I did it with you. “That would be best if I didn’t want to be bothered with him.”
Myles’s frown deepened. “What do you mean by not wanting to be bothered with him? Why deal with him in the first place if you don’t want to be bothered?”
“Haven’t you slept with women you didn’t particularly like?”
“No. Every woman I’ve slept with I liked in one way or another.”
“Well, I know men who don’t care if they like a woman or not. It’s just another warm body for them when they need someone to scratch their itch.”
“You’d pick up a complete stranger, lie down with him just to get pregnant?”
“I didn’t say that, Myles, so don’t try and put words in my mouth.”
Myles couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was a side of Zabrina he’d never seen. He couldn’t imagine her dating a man, sleeping with him, then walking away when she found herself pregnant.
She was nothing like the young woman who’d parried the advances of other men to save herself for him. She’d been very popular in high school. What he’d found startling was that she was liked by boys and girls equally. There were occasions at high school when the more popular the girl was among the boys, the more the other girls lined up against her. Zabrina always had a smile for everyone, diffusing whatever problems she would’ve faced.
“I’m willing to become a sperm donor if you want another child.” The instant the words were out Myles knew he couldn’t retract them.
Zabrina stared at the man lying beside her as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “You’re crazy!”
“No, Brina, you’re the crazy one. Wouldn’t it be better to know something about your child’s father? I’m disease-free and to my knowledge there have been no crazies in the family tree for the past three generations.”
Her eyes grew wider. “Yes, there is. You’re crazy.”
He smiled. “No, I’m not. Here I’m willing to help you out and you tell me I’m crazy. If anyone is crazy, then it’s you if you’re considering picking up some asshole you know nothing about.”
Her temper flared. “The difference between you and some asshole is he won’t insinuate himself into my life and my children’s. And I know you well enough to know you would want to be involved in the lives of your children.”
“You know me well, Zabrina,” Myles drawled arrogantly. “There’s no way I’d walk away from my child or children no matter what the situation between me and their mother.”
“That’s why you can’t become a donor.” She held up her hand when Myles opened his mouth to come back at her. “I know we’ve always gotten along, but I’ve changed. Things I wanted ten years ago I don’t want now.”
“Does that include marriage?”
“Yes, it does. Once was enough, thank you very much. And if I do agree to let you father my child there are risks.”
“What risks?” he asked.
“That you would sue for custody.”
“I’d like joint custody, but I’d never take a child away from his or her mother.”
“You say that now, Myles. But, what if I do or say something to piss you off?”
“It still wouldn’t happen.”
“I can’t take that risk,” Zabrina said. “After all, you’re an attorney and you still have a lot of friends and colleagues who are judges. The odds of me keeping my child are slim to none.”
“When did you become so distrustful?” Myles asked with no expression on his face. “There was a time when you trusted me with your life.”
She dropped her gaze. “I told you, I’ve changed.”
Rather than agree with her Myles decided to drop the subject. He’d temporarily taken leave of his senses when he’d offered to get Zabrina pregnant. It was he who wanted to turn back the clock. What he’d forgotten was there were no do-overs when it came to life. One learned from one’s mistakes, and hopefully would not repeat them.
It was apparent he was a slow learner.
Chapter 12
Leaning over the small round table, Zabrina peered at Myles through her lashes. The flickering light from a votive threw long and short shadows over his attractive male features. His large, deep-set dark eyes glowed like polished onyx.
“You didn’t have to drive to Baltimore to eat crab cakes, darling.”
A hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. “If you want authentic Maryland crab cakes, then you go to Maryland. It’s just like Philly cheesesteaks or New York pizza. Why settle for an imitation when you can get the real deal.”
“So, if I want deep-dish Chicago-style pizza you’ll drive there for me?”
Myles angled his head, admiring the woman sitting across the table. When he’d told her they were going out for dinner she’d changed into a flattering rose-pink sleeveless dress that nipped her waist and flared around her knees. The hot summer sun had darkened her face to a rich chestnut brown that brought out a spray of freckles over her nose and cheeks. His gaze lingered on loose tendrils of hair falling over her forehead, then to the rose-pink gloss on her generously curved lips.
Once he thought about his offer to father a child for Zabrina he realized it wasn’t as much for her as it was for Myles Adam Eaton. He would celebrate his thirty-ninth birthday in October and turn forty the following year. There was a time when he would’ve thought his life would be complete at forty and that he would be living the American dream with a wife, children, house and career. He hadn’t thought that at his age he would’ve attained only two of the four.
“Yes, Brina. Have you forgotten that at one time I would’ve done anything for you?”<
br />
She speared a portion of crab, avocado and grapefruit salad with chive vinaigrette but didn’t bring the fork to her mouth because she was afraid she would choke on the food. Zabrina closed her eyes, counted to three and then opened them. “No, Myles. I haven’t forgotten.”
“If that’s the case, then why did you ask me?”
She set down her fork, her gaze never leaving Myles’s face. It was their first full day together and she felt as if time had stood still, that they’d spent every day of the past ten years together. “I don’t know,” Zabrina said truthfully. “I keep forgetting that I’m the one that has changed. I’m now Zabrina Cooper and you’re still Myles Eaton.”
Myles wanted to tell her that she hadn’t changed that much, that she’d talked herself into believing that she was different. She may have been more wary, less trustful but their incredible chemistry hadn’t changed.
“What’s in a name, Brina? Names are changed every day for one reason or another.”
Zabrina picked up her fork again and took a bite, savoring the sharpness of torn frisée and radicchio leaves and the semisweet tart taste of sections of pink grapefruit on her tongue.
“You’re right,” she agreed after swallowing a mouthful of salad.
His expression brightened. “So, finally we agree on something.”
“We agree on a lot of things, Myles.”
“Enumerate.”
“We like each other.”
Myles’s expression changed, becoming stoic. “I think it’s more than liking, Brina.”
“What is it?”
“You tell me.”
“It can’t be love, Myles.”
“And why not? There was a time when we were very much in love with each other.”
Zabrina saw Myles looking at her as if he were photographing her with his eyes, and wondered if he could see what she’d tried vainly to hide. What she’d tired of was lying to him and to herself. She loved Myles, had always loved and would always love him.
“You’re right,” she repeated for the second time in a matter of minutes. “We did love each other, and not much has changed.” A swollen silence followed her pronouncement. “I’m still in love with you.”
Forever an Eaton: Bittersweet LoveSweet Deception Page 30